Mr Varadkar said, answering the question on a "hypothetical level", there will be possible checks in Ireland after Brexit at airports, ports and at business level in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He stressed it's not "to be assumed" that there will be border checks.

"Some checks may need to take place near the border but we don't have any locations identified," he said.

He said the government will let people know of the locations "when we know".

"We don't know yet, when arrangements are agreed, what I can say to anybody who operates a business along the border, who may face SPS checks or other checks we will give them plenty of notice. It's not going to be a sudden announcement or an overnight decision," Mr Varadkar said.

Yesterday, Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said any checks introduced will only be considered a "temporary arrangement" by Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said there is work for his government to do in explaining to the new British government what the Good Friday Agreement is "both in terms of letter and in spirit".

Mr Varadkar said the Good Friday Agreement was all about convergence and bringing everyone closer together.

"The problem with Brexit, particularly the type of Brexit which is now being advocated by the British government, it's all about divergence, it's all about making the UK different from Europe and therefore making Northern Ireland different from the Republic of Ireland and that is a fundamental conflict that exists between the Good Friday Agreement and Brexit," he said.

Asked about the position of the British government being that everyone in Northern Ireland is British, Mr Varadkar said "we disagree with their interpretation".

"We've had this conversation with the British government. As far as we're concerned, the Good Friday Agreement is explicit. It says that everyone in Northern Ireland is British or Irish or both and can be accepted as such and we disagree with their interpretation," he added.

Meanwhile, the DUP has insisted it would not be accepting a backstop by a different name, amid reports they would be willing to agree to an alternative that might unlock Brexit negotiations.

The party said they would only accept EU laws if the Northern Ireland assembly could pick and choose - something the Ireland and the EU have repeatedly rejected in the past.

"We will not accept a NI only backstop... It won’t be a backstop by any other name either. We will not be accepting separate arrangements that cut us off from UK," DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson told BBC Radio Ulster.

"The only different arrangements that we will accept for Northern Ireland are those where the Assembly has total scrutiny of any EU legislation, decides it's in the interests of Northern Ireland, and doesn't damage our relationship with the UK," he said.

"In those situations we will consider adopting appropriate legislation if we believe it is to the advantage of industry in Northern Ireland."